The Nitty Gritty Of Getting The Ball Rolling.
In life, taking the first step is possibly the hardest; that fact was evident this weekend as I watched my Granddaughter Miss Maeva take her first wobbly steps and reluctantly let go of her dad’s fingers. She’s been crawling for months, and we all expected her to bounce up onto the soft,...
The Right Side Of The Tracks - Wild Camping
If I could have my life all over again, one of the career choices I’d consider would be to become a train engine driver. I love trains in any shape or form. As a child, one of the highlights would be my journeys to and from boarding school by steam train. The clickety-clack would lull me to...
The Old And The Nieu Bethesda
Visiting Nieu Bethesda is like visiting a favourite Grandmother. You know their smells, their curves, the colour of their curls. Her soothing voice is constant. Reliable, patient, and her devotion is unconditional. We’ve introduced our friends, shared experiences at dinner parties, and...
Butch’s Request
Hi faithful readers, followers of my blogs or first timers. We need to pick your well travelled, adventurous brains. We are getting excited about our adventure into Africa, which we hope will commence in the next few weeks. One of the things we have picked up in reading various blogs by...
Wild Camping At KaKhulu Karoo
Like everyone else, I love a riddle, or a lekker ou skinder, but this visit left me with more questions than answers. The ninety-minute drive from Graaff Reinet on the Janzenville road was lovely, with breathtaking views of a rugged Karoo landscape carpeted in deep orange. Aloes were in...
Winter Wandering Into The Great Karoo
We picked up sticks and turned our nose northeast to Graaff Reinet. To celebrate the 4th of July, we stopped for tea and cake at Sophie’s Choice, a fascinating coffee shop just south of Willowmore. Quirky is the only word to describe this worthwhile stopover. No one can resist exploring...
Tying The Knot - An Elopement
We did it! With only my brother Percy and Sue, my sister-in-law, in attendance Butch and I tied the knot. As we say in Afrikaans, “ons het die knoop deurgehaak!” The decision to take this bold step was made last week. Butch called on our old friend, a retired but refired minister and...
Whether we can, Weather we can’t!
Our little holiday depended on weather conditions. Where are the days when we could determine weather conditions by experiencing the day, e.g.putting your head out the door, or feeling inclement weather in your bones,watching a mountaintop being covered by a cloudy cloth used to be a good...
Life After The Great Trek
Our gut is our best indicator of all things good and dire. We have been incredibly fortunate on this journey as all the keys have fallen into place. For us a good indication that we’re on the right track. Anyway, that’s how I see it. This time the dealer is on our side. Exhausted after weeks...
An Impasse At The Crossroads
Honestly, where I’m going with this story is anyone’s guess. The fact that I’m running away from writing this blog is a testament to my current state of mind. Or is it that I might, unintentionally, open the proverbial can of worms? Let’s see. But let me start at the very beginning....
Our Honey Badger Always Has The Last Word
As we all know, Honey Badgers do not take kindly to being ignored. They’re feisty, resilient, and crafty. Only she knows why her nose was put out of joint. It could’ve been the Khoudom corrugations, the tall trees, the narrow roads, or a field mouse that might’ve done the trick. We’ll...
The Illusive Perlemoen And Where To Find It in Hermanus
If you grew up in South Africa and enjoyed your holidays in Hermanus or anywhere along our Southeastern/western coast, there would be three things you’d certainly do. You’d go fishing, diving or spend time on the beach. If you’d asked my Great Grandmother what her favourite memories of...
Keeping The Best for Last – Shametu River Lodge and Spa.
Camping on the Kavango River. We were nearing the end of our holiday when we decided to spoil ourselves with a few days of Glamping. Yes, we were going Glamping! We'd laze by the pool and birdwatch while loeries built a nest in a palm tree on the deck overlooking the river, where boats plying...
Yzerfontein Revisited - A Celebration Of Our Freedom
We’ve benefited from a month of short weeks and long weekends. According to someone with limited holiday time, if a worker took leave on the 14th of April, they would use eight days of annual leave but wouldn’t clock back in until the 20th day after that, on the 2nd of May. How’s that for...
On A Personal Note – When A Spicy Curry Becomes Too Hot To Handle
Sometimes, during a journey, a moment arrives when one’s personal life gets in the way. Like a bank of clouds before the sun, all the Kumbaya moments evaporate. Like a rotten kumquat, life sours. When you least expect it, the wind’s out of your sails, and you’re stuck, rudderless, in the...
Rainbow River Lodge – Okavango River
Long holidays with many rendezvous, campsites, and parks will eventually fill my mental melting pot with a single, rich soup of sights, sounds, and smells. My photographs awaken my memory as I click through my albums, distinguishing one campsite, experience, or adventure from another. Spicing...
Travelling with Somebody. A Weekend in the Karoo - Kanniedood 4x4 Wild Camping
Two’s company and three’s a crowd. Sometimes an unwelcome guest, ‘Somebody,’ causes all the ructions. Her antics make our story light and often entertaining, prompting us to smile at her mischievousness. Our Breede Valley and the Hex River Valley are changing colour. Autumn has arrived,...
Wild Camping - Mudumu Campsite 3 - Second Time Lucky - The Caprivi adventure continues
It’s all very glamorous, staying in beautifully appointed campsites with manicured lawns, five-star ablutions, and interesting restaurants. Even more so is gliding on a mokoro and going on guided game drives. I'm not complaining. Still, we love doing our own thing. Besides, after two years...
Climbing the Skerpenheuwel To The Breede Otter Campsite -
When you’re a Grey Nomad, you’ll probably answer to Hodophile too, and we’re both. The Honey Badger stood forlorn, dusty and neglected in a barn behind a locked and chained door, and she needed a weekend out, even if it's going loco on a road less travelled by us. My response to the...
The Gondwana Collection - Getting Carried Away - A Handy Tip From Us
We all know we should do our homework thoroughly before any trip. We often intend to follow up on friends’ recommendations, advice, and experiences, but we rarely do so when it comes to the crunch. The reasons are lack of time, procrastination, and the sheer exhaustion and anxiety of planning...
Calamity Jane Rides Again - Wild Camping While A Storm Brews
Life never runs as smoothly as we expect. While storm clouds were brewing, we went blissfully on our way, entirely unaware of our troubles simmering away. We left the leafy confines of Ngepi and made our way to a wild campsite in the Mudumo National Park. Now we were going to chillax, do...
Island Style At Ngepi River Camp - Namibia
The marvellous advantage of writing or keeping a diary is that Butch and I continually relive our adventures; sharing these moments makes you feel part of our journey and inspires you to create your own. I’ve just returned from an invigorating 27 km bike ride, feeling energised and eager...
Casually Cruising The Khaudom National Park - North Eastern Namibia
Once again, we set off as early as possible. We had a big day ahead and knew it wouldn’t be easy. We were breaking all the rules. It’s suggested that one does the Khaudom in a convoy of at least two vehicles, preferably three. We had a Honey Badger, a Butch, and an eager learner, Maricha,...
As Promised - Some Simple Summer Salads and A Crackling Good Pork Belly
OK. If I loathe one thing, it must be a promise made and not kept. I can remember Butch’s mom Bets’ disappointment when a lady at her bible study (nogal) PROMISED to visit and never did. She was profoundly hurt. The person who made the glib promise (as we so often do.. “Oh, we must get...
Namibian Bank Holi-YAY And A Flat Battery
You may well ask, “How the Dickens do you two do it?” We don’t know, and we do our best to avoid misadventures. But, as I remind Butch, nobody is interested in a boring story, and everyone loves a liberal sprinkling of drama and tension. Our excitement intensified as we navigated “real”...
Beating The Odds - Navigating Namibia Naturally
Thanks to Boris Johnson, who tried to win Browny points, South Africa was once again on the red list, banning all travel to and from our country. By the stroke of a pen, millions of travellers could unpack their suitcases, lock up their passports and go out and buy a Christmas tree; they were...
Ba-Ba Banff
Our vision is always 20/20 in hindsight. When Boris closed the borders on us last week, I realised I had just made it to Canada and back in the nick of time. Window periods both ways. In the world as it is now, we must seize opportunities when they present themselves without hesitation....
Searching For The Perfect Brew(ery) - A Road Trip To Calgary
All work and no play isn’t a hard-and-fast rule with this crew. They’re inclined to lean towards the sentiment that it makes Joe dull and kills innovation, invention and inspiration, or towards being boringly predictable, which is an anomaly coming from an accountant, especially one...
Surprise!
My phone pinged, and my wristwatch vibrated. A message from Joe: he’d completed another workout, earned a badge, and wanted to rub it in my face, I thought. At least I’d cycled; I applauded myself while rolling my eyes. He could be so irksome about my exercise regimen. I took a sneak peek....
Lekkerwater Beach Lodge - Go With The Flow. Naturally.
In October, three things happened at once: a belated birthday weekend away and two unexpected events I never dreamed possible. Like most surprises, my life turned topsy-turvy overnight. I had three days to prepare for a weekend away, a cooking class, an overseas flight, and a six-week...
PAMPERED, PARENTING GOES PEARSHAPED
Parenting at its best is difficult. Few know the rules, and when we slip up, it’s with the best of intentions. Sharing these struggles can help us feel understood and less alone in our challenges. No matter my age, I’ve always been a child in my parents' eyes; they were all-knowing,...
Being Gobsmacked By Beauty - Nieuwoudtville And Biedouw Valley
In the grand scheme of things, three OMGs in one day aren’t that bad, but you see, I’m not that sorta gal. But then again, I’m known to have a mouth on me. My expletives were utterly spontaneous; what my eyes saw, my mouth exclaimed before my brain had caught up. My most vivid memory of...
Exploring Van Rhynsdorp and Garies - Unlocking The Door To Spring -
Maskam Guest Farm and Klipkraal Campsite. Day two of our blooming bonanza road trip began bright and breezy. We needed to get off the N7, the busy main artery from Cape Town to Namibia. Blooms, still closed, were arousing our appetites. Flowering is a stop-start affair. But to do that, we...
Flower Power - Camping Around Namaqualand
TOP OF PIEKENIERSKLOOF - KARDOESIE CAMPSITE AND ON TO CLANWILLIAM. My best childhood holiday memories are of waking up reluctantly at 4h00 on the morning of our departure. Then we could get away with travelling the first bit in our PJs, squashed up against my brothers, who complained...
Spring Shenanigans and Daisies with Honeyed Hearts
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESSFUL FLOWERING IN NAMAQUALAND. Within hours, we had the Honey Badger packed, our bikes strapped on, our picnic basket brimming with delicious goodies, the fridge stocked, and meat in the deep freezer for six braais. My tummy clenched and unclenched like a teenager...
Dessert The Winter Chills And Berry It
No matter the occasion or the poshness of the menu, my eyes always inadvertently seek out the desserts. You might think I'm the spitting image of Queen Victoria and that I don't succumb to my sweet tooth. I’ll skimp on starters and nibble on lettuce leaves, but don’t deny me dessert. We all...
The Final Whispers of Winter – Recipes to Charm
I can feel it in my bones; spring is in the air. I haven’t forgotten the recipes from our warm get-together with friends last week, which brings back cherished memories of good times spent in the kitchen around the island. What vividly comes back to me now is Timmy’s “Dankie Mamma, die kos...
Fully Vaxxed We Celebrate Family, Friends and Firstborns
I’ve raged against injustice, prayed with prayer sisters for healing, wept with the grieving, and consoled friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in mourning; we’ve given thanks for healing and have been enthralled by those who’ve recovered, often miraculously. While we wait for these...
Clickety Clack Closer To Home
Camping in Rawsonville - Goudyn - Stillewater on the Smalblaar River. You might think it’s ridiculous to go away for the weekend only to head to the next hamlet. As soon as I step into our Honey Badger to spring-clean and spruce it up, make my bed and pack my goodies into the fridge, I’m like...
Shell We Go West?
Exploring the West Coast National Park and Groenrivier. With the sun on our backs in the morning, we set off from Upington to Springbok. Along the Orange River, aqua systems run through vineyards, date palm plantations, watermills, and the legendary Pink Padstal, where stocking up on books,...